Jeb Bush 2016? Mama Barbara Doesn’t Think So

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speaks while promoting his book "Immigration Wars: Forging an American Solution" at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, March 8, 2013.
Reuters

Jeb Bush
Reuters

Previous

1
of
2

Next

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said last month he hasn't ruled out running for president in 2016, but his mother thinks it’s unlikely another of her sons will become president.

That doesn't mean the former first lady doesn’t think he's qualified -- indeed, Barbara Bush said she thinks her youngest son is the most qualified contender. It's just that she just thinks America has had enough of the Bushes.

“There are other people out there that are very qualified, and we’ve had enough Bushes,” Barbara Bush told NBC's “Today” host Matt Lauer, on Thursday. She was speaking from inside the new presidential library dedicated to her eldest son, George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States, who has encouraged his brother to run for president.

“It’s a great country,” Barbara Bush said. “There are a lot of great families and it’s not just four families.”

On the same program last month, Jeb Bush, 60, said he was thinking about becoming a 2016 presidential contender, but he wouldn’t confirm just yet if his name will be among those in the running.

Bush had largely remained silent until last month, when he released his book “Immigration Wars.” He was also a featured speaker at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, in March.

When asked if he'll run, Bush said, “That’s way off into the future. I have a voice and I want to share my beliefs about how the conservative movement and the Republican Party can regain its footing, because we’ve lost our way. I won’t [rule out a run for 2016], but I’m not going to declare it today either.”